Purple, the UW’s enterprise generative AI tool, is now available to faculty and staff!* With a ChatGPT-like interface, it lets users interact with approved AI models in a UW-managed environment, offering a more secure, University-supported alternative to publicly available AI tools. Using Purple is optional, and you can explore it if and when it’s useful for you.
What Purple Can Do
Purple can help the UW community adopt AI responsibly in the following ways.
Public AI tools vary widely in how they handle data (including storage, retention, and model training). Purple provides access to approved generative AI models within UW’s Microsoft Azure environment. You just need to sign in with your UW NetID.
Purple is a productivity tool that helps with use cases such as course design, instructional support, student learning/studying, and administrative and operational tasks. This support frees up time and energy for deeper thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
No one in the UW community is required to use Purple, but it provides a standardized option for those who choose to use AI in their work.
AI literacy is becoming a core skill across disciplines and roles. Purple provides a place to learn and experiment in a UW-supported setting, with guidance that reflects UW expectations and helps reduce risk to university data.
Data entered into Purple stays within UW’s Azure environment and is not used to train any AI models. Purple is designed to meet UW’s security and compliance needs, so you have a more controlled place to use generative AI for university work.
Refer to the Key Data Considerations section below for additional information.
Not everyone has access to paid AI tools. Purple helps reduce the digital divide by providing the UW community with the same robust generative AI capabilities at no additional cost, creating a more equitable baseline for learning, teaching, research, and work.
Purple goes beyond individual productivity tasks. It also supports custom AI agents that help teams streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and focus more time on higher-value work, while keeping human judgement at the center of all decisions and outcomes.
Key Data Considerations
Access is limited to specific authorized situations, such as providing support you request or complying with applicable legal obligations. Data is subject to public record requests and UW record retention policies.
It is not shared with AI vendors and is not used to train any AI models.
Keep the following data requirements in mind when using Purple:
- FERPA: You are responsible for handling FERPA-protected data appropriately within the scope of your role. Do not use Purple in any way that violates FERPA.
- HIPAA: Purple is not approved for HIPAA-regulated data, including protected health information (PHI).
- UW Medicine Data: Purple is not approved for UW Medicine Data at this time. UW Medicine continues to evaluate broader use of Purple through limited pilots.
- Other: Purple is not approved for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), confidential research data, or other sensitive or regulated data.
Users must follow UW’s AI Guidelines and other applicable UW policies when using Purple. In addition, UW Medicine employees should follow UW Medicine’s AI Policy.
How Purple is Different from Copilot or ChatGPT
The UW provides access to several generative AI tools, including Purple, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT. All three can help with common tasks such as drafting, summarizing information, brainstorming ideas, and answering questions. While Purple includes ONEChat for this purpose, its primary value comes from capabilities that go beyond these general productivity use cases.
Unlike Copilot or ChatGPT, Purple allows users to:
- Access multiple approved AI models within a UW-managed Azure environment
- Create and use custom AI agents that support specific workflows, resources, or content repositories
- Build workflows that extend beyond Microsoft 365 applications
- Access an AI tool that sources information from UW-specific policies, terminology, services, systems, and processes.
- Reduce barriers to access by providing robust generative AI at no additional cost, making it available for everyone in the UW community for learning, teaching, research, and work.
Get Started
To get started, refer to the Purple Quick Guide.
For more information, refer to Purple – AI for All. This is your hub for everything Purple, including:
- Newsfeed
- FAQs
- User scenarios/prompting guides
- Training
- Office hours
- UW AI Community
Help Shape Purple for the UW
This launch marks the start of a community-driven journey. How Purple supports teaching, research, and work at the UW is something we’ll shape together. As you use this tool, please try new approaches, share what works, and help us improve it for the UW community. Please submit feedback via Purple Support.